Whole Works, Tracts 1 · Tract 5 · Body of tract · Part 1
¶ Peter was not greater then the other Apoſtles, by any authoritie geuen him of Chriſt.
THey ſaye that Peter was Why Peter was called chief of the Apoſtles.chiefe of the Apoſtles, verely as Appe…s was called chief of Painters for his excellent cunninge aboue other, euen ſo Peter may be called chiefe of the Apoſtles for his actiuitie and boldnes aboue the other: but that Peter had any auctoritie Peter had no authoritie aboue the reſt of the Apoſtles.or rule ouer his brethren and felow Apoſtles, is falſe and contrary to ye ſcripture. Chriſt forbad it the laſt euen before his paſſion, and in diuers tunes before, and taught alway the contrary as I hauehave rehearſed.
Thou wilt ſay: thou cauſt not ſee how there ſhould be any good order in that kyngdome where none were better then other, and where the ſuperior had not a lawe and authoritie to compell the inferior with violēce. The worlde truely can ſee no other way to rule then with violence. For there no man abſteineth from euil but for feare, becauſe the louelove of righteouſnes is not written in their hartes. And therefore The …opes kyngdome is of the world.the Popes kingdome is of the world. For there one ſorte are your grace, your holines, your fatherhode: An other, my Lord Byſhop, my Lord Abbot, my Lord Pryor: An other, maſter …able of the Popes g…e … …e his badge.Doctour, Father, Bachelar, mayſter Parſon, maiſter Ʋicar, and at the laſt commeth in ſimple ſyr Iohn. And eueryevery man raigneth ouer other wyth might, and hauehave eueryevery ruler his priſon, his iayler, his chaynes, his tormentes, euen ſo much as the Fryers ob…eruauntes obſerue that rule, and compell eueryevery man other, with violēce aboue the cruelneſſe of the heathen tyrauntes, ſo that what commeth once in, may neuer out for feare of telling ta…es out of ſchole. They rule ouer the bodye with violence, and compell … whether the harte will or not, to obſerue thinges of their owne making.
But in the kingdome of God it is contrary. For the ſpirite that bringeth them thether, maketh them wil…ing, and geueth them luſt vntounto the law of The miniſters of the kyngdome of God, muſt gouerne with all louelove, mekenes & pacience.God, & louelove cōpelleth them to worke, and louelove maketh euerty mās good & all that he can do cōmune vntounto his neighbours nede. And as eueryevery mā is ſtrōg in that kyngdome, ſo louelove compelleth him to take the weake by the hand and to helpe hym, and to take him that can not go vppon his ſhoulders and beare him. And ſo to do ſeruice vntounto the weaker, is to beare rule in that kingdome.
And becauſe Peter did excede the other Peter in y• vſe of ſpeakyng for his diligēce is called (but not in the Scripture) the chief of the Apoſtles.Apoſtles in feruēt ſeruice toward his brethren, therefore is …e called, no… in the Scripture, but in the vſe of ſpeakyng the chiefeſt of the Apoſtles & not that he had any dominion ouer them. Of which truth thou mayſt ſee alſo the practiſe in the Actes of the Apoſtles after the reſurrection. For when Peter had bene and preached in the houſe of Cornelius an heathen mā the other that were Circumciſed chode him, becauſe he had bene in an vncircumciſed mans houſe & had eaten with him, for it was forbidden in the law, neither wiſt they yet that the heathen ſhould be called. And Peter was fayne to geue accountes vntounto them (which is no token Peter was inforced to render an accompt to his brethrē of his doynges.of ſuperioritie) and to ſhew them how he was warned of the holy ghoſt ſo to do Actes. xj.
And Actes xv. when a Coūcell was gathered of the Apoſtles and diſciples about the Circumciſion of the heathē, Peter brought forth, not his commaū dement and the authoritie of his Ʋicarſhyp, Peter ſhewed no pa…t of hys a… ho…e, … the mighty power of ….but the miracle that the holy ghoſt had ſhewed for the heathen, how at y• preachyng of the Goſpell the holy ghoſt had lighted vppon them and purified, …heir hartes through fayth, and therefore proued that they ought not to be Circumciſed.
And Paule and Barnabas brought ſoorth the miracles alſo that God had ſhewed by them among the heathen through preachyng of ſaith. And then … the Apoſtles alledge the authoritie of God in Chriſt. and no authoritie of their own.Iames brought ſoorth a prophecie of the olde Teſtament for the ſayd part: And therewith the aduerſaries gaue ouer their hold, and they cōcluded with one aſſent by the authoritie of the ſcripture and of the holy ghoſt, that the heathen ſhould not be Circumciſed, & not by the commaundement of Peter vnderunder payne of curſing, excommunicatiō … interditing and like bugges to make fooles and children afrayed withall.
And Actes viij. Peter was ſent of Peter was ſent by the other Apoſtles to preach … Samaria.the other Apoſtles vntounto the Samaritanes. whiche is an euident token that he had no iuriſdiction ouer them (for then they could not hauehave ſent him) But rather (as the truth is) that the congregation had authoritie ouer him & ouer all other priuate perſones, to admitte them for miniſters and ſend them forth to preach whether ſo euer the ſpirite of God moued them, and as they ſaw occaſion.
And in the Epiſtle vntounto the Galathians Gal.thou ſeeſt alſo how Paule corrected Peter when he walked not the Paul …to his ….ſtraight way after the truth of the Goſpel. So now thou ſeeſt that in the kingdome of Chriſt and in his Churche or congregation and in his coūſels the ruler Scripture is the ch…efeſt of the Apoſtles.is the Scripture approued through the miracles of the holy ghoſt and men be ſeruauntes onelyonly, and Chriſt is the head and we all brethren: And whē we call men our heades, that we do not be cauſe they be ſhorne or ſhauen, or becauſe of their names: Parſon, Ʋicare, Byſhop, Pope: But onelyonly becauſe of We ge…e the… … reue…nce, no… for them …es b… becauſe of the word th… …y miniſter▪the word whiche they preach. If they erre frō the word, thē may whoſoeuer God moueth his hart play Paule and correct hym. If he will not obey the Scripture, then hauehave his brethren authoritie by the Scripture to put hym downe and ſend hym out of Chriſtes Church among the heretickes whiche preferre their falſe doctrine aboue the true word of Chriſt,